Why whisky makes you frisky (and gin makes you sin)

"Brandy impairs us more than beer – but beer drinkers are more likely to drink and drive" (Image: Brett Ryder)

What's your poison? How it affects you depends on much more than the amount of raw alcohol it contains

"WHAT noise does Tintin make?" "Pop!" answers my excitable 3-year-old nephew, as my father – who prefers "Tintin" to "grandad" – squeezes the cork from a champagne bottle. It has become a tradition in my family, cracking open a bottle of champagne on Christmas Day. It is the drink of celebration, after all. Sure enough, before long our banter is as bubbly as the contents of our glasses.

What if we had drunk neat gin instead? Chances are we would have become fed up or feisty rather than festive. What about beer? Sleepy or rowdy. Cider? Don't even ask. It is common knowledge that alcohol's effects depend not just ...

To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.

To continue reading this article, log in or subscribe to New Scientist